An effective Prayer that brings heavenly attention must come from an effective heart preparation, since prayer is the only potent weapon given to Christians to use and fight the enemy of God’s kingdom. Jesus demonstrated it throughout his journey on earth. Jesus Christ was a praying giant because he knew that nothing can work for him likewise for us without prayer, but when he took his disciples to the garden of Gethsemane- a place of prayer, he had intimated them prior to that time how sorrowful he was, how burdened his heart was for prayer against the impending evil plots of the Pharisees and their cohorts but they could not prayer with him, because their heart were empty without burden to pray while that of their master was sorrowful(filled with prayer burden).
“… He (Jesus) began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceedingly
Sorrowful, even unto death; tarry here and watch
With me” – Matt.26:37, 38
We play with praying when there are no serious burdens in our hearts. Prayer burdens are like clouds that are full of rain. Obviously such clouds are bound to empty themselves upon the earth as Ecclesiastes puts it.
“If the clouds be full of rain, they empty
Themselves upon the earth…” – Eccl. 11: 3.
It is only when our hearts are full of burdens that we empty them or pours them to our heavenly Father in prayer. Just as clouds without water are carried with a tempest and the mist of darkness (2 Pet. 2:17), so are the hearts without burdens carried with meaningless thoughts making round our minds when one is supposedly praying. When these burdens are not there, we shout and yell at what we call prayer meetings like showers of rain that puts everyone on the run but suddenly disappears thereby paving way for normal activities to continue. We shout and yell at the enemy who runs thinking we are serious, but only discover that all is just but a threat; we do not really mean to drive him because we are empty. And just as some who know how to observe the weather carefully would defile the rain threat, saying it would not rain, so also do the demons. They defile certain burden less and shower of prayers as they query:“…Jesus I know and Paul I now;But who are ye? – Acts 19:15“ .
We know these ones do not joke at all. They fast; they watch and pray with serious burdens, so that when they command, we obey immediately. But who are you to command us out? As empty as you are-no burden, no watching and fasting? You must be joking. Threatening us? No. you can’t cast us out. We defile your shallow and empty prayers.” You see! That was why the prayer of seven sons of one Sceva put together could not drive demons away. Instead they got the demons they were trying to cast out of those who had them (Acts 19:13-16). Jesus himself had declared that this kind (of demon) can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. For a prayer gathering to be individual as well as collective burden, burdens provide purpose and directions to our solemn assemblies and prayer meetings. God himself spoke in the same vein when he told Zephaniah, a prophet, that:
“I will gather those who are sorrowful
For the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to
Whom the reproach of it was a burden.
Behold, at the time, I will undo all that afflict
Thee; and I will save her that is lame,
And gather her that was driven out; and I will
Get them praise and fame in every land where
They have been put to shame” – Zeph. 3:18, 19.
You see those that are invited to solemn meeting? The sorrowful; those who see the reproaches of which the enemy reproach the church as a burden. That is the kind of prayer gathering were God takes delight to undo the works of darkness through deliverances, salvation and healings.
May the Lord burdens our hearts to pray and avert all the impending danger of the evil one concerning our work with God in Jesus name. Amen.
….to be continued.
